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"Sure, Mexico will always physically be there. But the close cooperation that we've built with our neighbor, which underpins our economic and security interests, is not a given. And after the first few weeks of the Trump presidency, we might be on the verge of losing it. Maybe that's not such a big deal. America first, right? But a quick look at the relationship shows us that America can't be first without Mexico." Read more:

Op-ed piece from the El Paso Times takes on Trump's attacks on Mexico: "Donald Trump’s incessant bashing of Mexico reminds me of past eras when U.S. presidents shamelessly took advantage of that country’s weaknesses to promote racist, imperialistic, and greedy policies."

"While the government officials developing and enforcing U.S. immigration policy will change on January 20, the economic system in which they make that policy will not. As fear sweeps through immigrant communities in the United States, understanding that system helps us anticipate what a Trump administration can and can’t do in regard to immigrants, and what immigrants themselves can do about it." Read More:

With the impending assumption of power by the Trump administration, threats to social justice issues will escalate significantlyThe border will be one of his target areas, and border people will need to stay well informed and respond appropriately. EPSJ will regularly post articles and other materials on both our Facebook and website pages to increase awareness of policies that will impact our area.

A Bowie student drew a rendering of what the OSO Good food truck might look like when finished.(Photo: RUDY GUTIERREZ/EL PASO TIMES)

From Lindsey Anderson of the El Paso Times:

"A new year is just around the corner, and for a group of Bowie High School seniors, it will forever be the year they made their mark. The six seniors are launching the Oso Good Food Truck, transforming an old school bus into a mobile restaurant they hope will hit the road early next spring." Read More

Lorenzo Palma (center) reviews family documents with his brother and mother in their home in El Paso, Texas. Palma served time for a parole violation and, just as he was being released, was sent before an immigration court to prove his U.S. citizenship. Photo by Bree Lamb

This is a beautiful essay about growing up in LA as the child of Guatemalan immigrants.

"In the deepest reaches of my brain, there is a boy who speaks Spanish.

He calls his mother and father “Mamá” and “Papá.” One of his favorite expressions is “qué lindo” (how nice, or how sweet). He’s proud of the Mexican slang he’s learned: for instance, “no hay pedo,” which means “no problem,” though its literal translation is “there is no fart.”

"Although economic times seem to have improved since the Great Recession, many people still struggle to make ends meet. One measure of this is food insecurity - limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods." Read More

At the forum on farm workers, Carlos Marentes provided a very interesting and informative overview of the conditions that these workers face as they pick our food every day. Marentes emphasized that unlike other members of the labor force, farm workers do not have bargaining rights, a situation that has made it very difficult for them to organize unions and press for higher wages.

"The song we're hearing right now is called "Maiz." In English, it means corn. I wrote the song "Maiz" after meeting someone actually whose home had been uprooted because they were Mexican corn farmers."

EL PASO, Texas - Long time border farm worker organizer and advocate Carlos Marentes met Pope Francis in late October 2014 as part of the three-day World Meeting of Popular Movements conference in Rome. Read More